Pastor's Corner

Foundations

As we watch and listen to the news of the past few weeks, we see how hurricanes have devastated much of the gulf coast from Texas to Florida, as well as other countries. In years gone by, I have spent time in the aftermath of such storms both helping in the recovery and standing amazed at the power and devastating punch these storms hit land with. In many cases the only things left were the foundations and the memories of what had been there. Growing up in the northwest, it’s hard to think that a storm could come with such force.

In our neighborhoods as we walk around, we see many houses and most of them are sitting on a firm foundation. Some of these houses have stood for close to 100 years and are today a testimony of the time and craftsmanship of their era. I have heard it said that “they don’t make things the way they used to.” Now I don’t know if that is true, but perhaps in a hundred years the same will be said of the craftsmanship of this generation. Anything worth building is worth putting in the time to have a good foundation and that even includes life.

The things that we build our lives on have typically been taught to us by our parents, teachers or friends. The truths that were given to us were given to us when we least expected them and possibly started with a conversation like this, “When I was young” or “My dad or mom used to say.” Some of us may have rolled our eyes during the building of our foundation, but it is those truths that will anchor our lives when the storms and difficulties come. We know that the storms are going to come. The question is, are we going to have the foundation to weather them?

Jesus said, “In this life you will have trials.” It is these trials that will show us what we are built of and how strong our foundation is. Jesus told a parable of the wise man and the foolish man. One built his house on the sand and it was the easy way. The foolish man didn’t take the time to dig down to the rock before he erected his house. Maybe he was having too much fun to dig the proper foundation. Maybe he was working too hard at something that in the end really would not matter. No one ever says on the death bed, I should have worked harder or spent longer days at my job. No it is usually the people that have been in our lives that we wish we would have spent more time with. Foundations are built with the truth of the Bible and the people God puts around us. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” I might have all the right ingredients or parts to make something really nice, but if I don’t have the knowledge to put them together, all I have are really nice parts.

A strong foundation is made up of a little of this and a little of that. Now if I don’t take the time to learn how much of this and how much of that, it might look nice, but it will more than likely fall down in the middle of the storm. The wise man, on the other hand, took the time to learn to build his house on the rock with a firm foundation. He took the time to work on his foundation and learn what would stand the test of time. The thing about a good foundation is that even if the storms of life come and you have to rebuild something, you always have the foundation to start with.

Take the time to build a strong foundation and as God gives you opportunities learn from others. God will also provide moments for us to speak into the lives of those who are in the process of building their foundations. Pass on hope for tomorrow. Sometimes the storms can be a little overwhelming in this life, but there is always hope in the LORD. The wise man’s house made it through the storm and so will you when you build the foundation of your life on Jesus.